Electrically-controlled damper for heaters.



No. 765,686. 6 PATENTED JULY 26, 1904.

F. J. SPRAGUB.

ELEGTRIOALLY CONTROLLED DAMPER FOR HEATERS.

APPLIOATION nun) sum. 4. 190a.

N0 MODEL. 6 2 sums-sum 1.

No. 765,686. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904.

I P. J. SPRAGUB.

ELEGTRIGALLY CONTROLLED DAMPER-FOR HEATERS.

7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1903. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

ELECTRlCALLY-CONTROLLED DAMPER FOR HEATERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,686, dated July 26,1904.

Application filed September 4, 1903. Serial No. 172,011. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANK J. SPRAGUE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oswego, in the county of Oswego and State of New York,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-ControlledDampers for Heaters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to electricallycontrolled devices for automaticallyregulating dampers or valves, and is especially designed to operate thedampers or valves of a heater, so as to control the temperature in aroom or rooms; and it consists generally of the peculiar arrangement andnovel combination of certain mechanism for closing and breaking anelectric circuit which operates to set in motion a motor to open adamper or valve to the passage of a fluid or to close the same againstsaid passage.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide automaticmeans for mechanically preventing a permanent circuit through thebattery when the motor is run down.

Another and important object of the invention is to minimize the amountof time in which the battery shall be inuse, and thereby effect a savingin power.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for regulating orlimiting the number of revolutions of the crank-arm shaft in order toaccommodate extra heavy, medium, and light weight dampers.

Other objects will become apparent upon a more detailed description ofthe same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of my improvedapparatus; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the motor and electricalconnections; Fig. 3, a top plan view of the same; Fig. 4, a perspectiveview of a portion of the motor, showing the arrangement of the automaticadjustable-stop mechanism and circuit making and breaking device, aportion of the notched wheel being broken away to show the ends of thecontact-finger; and Fig. 5 a side elevation of the notched wheel andcircuit making and breaking device, showing the relative position of theparts at one of the times when the circuit is complete.

Referring to the several views, the numeral 1 indicates a suitablemotor, preferably such as is shown and described in Letters Patentgranted to me November 14, 1899, and numbered 637,175, and 2 a heaterprovided with a check-damper 3 and a draft-damper 4. The check-damper isconnected by a chain or cord 5 with an adjustable slide 6, adapted tooperate in a crank-arm 7 secured on one end of the main or operatingshaft 8 of the motor, and the draft-damper is connected by a chain orcord 9 to a similar slide 10, operating in a crank-arm 11, secured onthe other end of the shaft 8.

Secured on the shaft 8 is a disk .wheel 12, provided withoppositely-placed peripheral notches 13 and 14, which notches areadapted to be engaged by a lip or projection 15 of an armature-lever 16,said armature-lever being pivoted on a shaft 17, journaled in suitablebearings, preferably of the cone type, made in a standard 18 and oneside of the frame of the motor. The forward end 19 of the armature-leveris weighted, and said lever is provided with a brake-shoe 20, whichfrictionally engages the periphery of a brakewheel 21, secured on oneend of the fan-shaft or fly-arbor 22 to gradually check the operation ofthe motor and stop said motor when the lip 15 enters either of thenotches 13 or 14.

The brake device forms an important feature of my invention, as bygradually checking the speed of the motor all undue strain on the motormechanism and shock or jar thereto is prevented and a positive stoppingmeans provided.

The numeral 23 indicates an electromagnet supported on a bracket 24,projecting from the standard 18, and is arranged to contact with thefree end 25 of the armature-lever.

Suitably secured-to brackets 26 and 27 and properly insulated therefromare contactfingers 28 and 29, formed, preferably, with V-shaped orcurved ends 30, adapted to contact with a circuit maker orbreakerattached to the inner face of the notched wheel 12 when the motoris stopped by thelip 15 of the armature-lever entering one of thenotches in said wheel.

Pivoted on a connecting-rod. 32 of the motor-frame is an automaticadjustable stop-arm 33, provided with a set-screw 34 and a jamnut 35,and projecting from the inner face of the heavy pinion-wheel 36 of themotor is a pin or stud 37, adapted to be engaged by the curved end 38 ofthe stop-arm 33 when the power-spring 39 of the motor is nearly orcompletely run down. By adjusting the set-screw the free end of thestop-arm may be caused to assume either a high or low position withrelation to the pin 37, so that the motor may be put out of operationbefore the spring has lost all of its driving power, or said motor maybe continued in operation until the spring has run down and needsrewinding. In other words, the adjustment of the set-screw serves toregulate the number of revolutions of the main or operating shaft 8 foreach winding of the spring. The inward adjustment of the set-screw tendsto lessen the number of revolutions made by the shaft 8, as the end ofthe stop-arm will engage the pin 37 before the spring has become rundown, and the outward adjustment of the end of said screw will increasethe number of revolutions of said shaft. If the dampers or valves shouldbe extra heavy, the set-screw would be set to reduce the number ofrevolutions of the shaft 8; but if they were very light the set-screwwould be set to allow a greater number of revolutions of said shaft. Itwill be noted that this automatic stopping mechanism forms an importantfeature of my invention, as it serves not only to regulate the force ofthe spring for heavy or light dampers, but to prevent a permanentcircuit when the motor runs down, and I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to any particular construction of stop mechanism, asvarious forms or modifications of the same may be employed. Thethermostat 4:0 may be of any approved type, having its bar or tongue atconstructed of two materials having different coefficients of expansion,preferably like the triangular plate shown anddescribed in LettersPatent granted to C. D. Howard December 27 1902, and numbered 488,895.The thermostat is provided with suitable contact-points b and b, and awire a connects contact-point b with contact-finger 28, and a wire dconnects contact-point b with contact-finger 29. A wire a connects thethermostat. with one pole of a battery f, and a wire 9 connects theother pole of said battery with the electromagnet. A wire it connectsthe magnet with the motor-frame and other parts of the apparatus notinsulated therefrom. Bindingposts 11, 12, and 4:3, properly insulatedfrom the frame or base of the motor, are employed as a convenience inwiring and are therefore of no other electrical value.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Assuming that the motor is ready to start, the spring being fully woundand acting on gearwheel 36 through the medium of ratchetwheel 6, pawl a.and intermediate gear-wheel and the contact finger 28 in contact withthe circuit maker or breaker 31, as shown above the degree fixed in theapartment in which the thermostat is situated will cause the free end ofthe thermostatic bar or tongue to make contact with contact-point Z) andestablish a circuit through the magnet by way of the wires 6 and 0.Circuit being established the armature end 25 of the lever 16 will beattracted by the magnet, causing the weighted end of said lever to risesufiiciently to release the brake-shoe 20 from frictional contact withthe brake-wheel 21 and incidentally raise the lip 15 out of the notch 13of the wheel 12. At the instant the brake-wheel and notched wheel arereleased the motor starts, and the contact between the circuit maker orbreaker 31 and the contact-finger 28 isimmediately broken. Thus it willbe seen that the battery is in use but a very limited portion of time.After the connection between the circuit maker and breaker 31 and finger28 is broken the current through the magnet is immediately cut off, thearmature is released, and the weighted end of the lever drops and rideson the periphery of the notched wheel 12 until the lip 15 engages thenotch 14:, the brake-shoe in the meantime being prevented from engagingthe brake-wheel by the riding action of the lip 15. WVhen the notchedwheel has made a half-revolution, the lip 15 will engage the notch 14:and the brake-shoe 20 again be in frictional contact with thebrake-wheel 21, and the motor will be put out of operation with thecontact-finger 29 in contact with the circuit maker and breaker 31,ready for the motor to be set into operation by the fall of thetemperature below the degree previously fixed, as in the meantime thedraft-damper will have been closed and the check-damper opened.

It will be noted that the motor itself is used as a part of the electriccircuit each time the apparatus is changed by a rise or fall in thetemperature of the apartment and that the apparatus complete isautomatic in its operation, requiring the smallest possible amount ofbattery-power consistent with its operation.

I do not wish to be limited to any particular shape or construction ofcontact-finger and circuit maker or breaker, as any construction thatwill enable the circuit to be instantly broken after the motor startsmay be employed.

The fiber brake-shoe is an important feature of my invention, as itsbraking qualities are greatly superior to the frictional brakes used indevices of this character and by the use of which I am able to dispensewith extra weight or stronglyspring-restrained arma- .in Figs. 2 and 5,a rise in the temperature IIO ture-levers which require excessivebatterypower to raise them.

Various other changes or modifications may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit or scope of my inventionor sacrificing the principle thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springac'tuated motor, of an electromagnet, and apivotally-mounted armature for said magnet, said armature being providedwith a brakeshoe and a stop, said brake-shoe being adapted tofrictionally engage a rotatable member of the spring-actuated motor andsaid stop adapted to engage a diiferent rotatable member of said motor.

2. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springactuated motor, of an electromagnet, a pivotally-mountedarmature having a weighted end, said end being provided with a stopadapted to engage a notched rotatable member of the spring-actuatedmotor, and a brake device, so arranged that when the stop of thearmature enters a notch of the rotatable member, said brake will bebrought into action to stop said motor.

3. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springactuated motor, of an electromagnet, a pivotally-mountedarmature having a weighted end,

said armature being provided with a brakeshoe and an engaging stop, abrake-wheel and a notched wheel, said brake-shoe adapted to frictionallyengage the brake-wheel and said stop adapted to enter one of the notchesin the notched wheel, whereby the motor is stopped.

4. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springactuated motor, of an electromagnet and a pivotally-mountedarmature therefor, said armature being provided with a brake-shoe and astop, said brake-shoe adapted to frictionally engage a rotatable memberof the motor and said stop adapted to engage a difierent rotatablemember of said motor, one of said members being rotatable faster thanthe other.

5. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springactuated motor, of a controlling device therefor comprisingan electromagnet, its armature, a source of electrical energy,connections adapted to form an electric circuit including said magnetand source of electric energy, an engaging or contact device arranged onone of the wheels of the motor, anda pivoted arm actuated by themotor-spring and adapted to engage said contact device, whereby themotor is stopped and a permanent circuit prevented.

6. In an automatic damper or valve operating mechanism, the combinationwith a springactuated motor, of a controlling device therefor comprisingan electromagnet, its armature, a source of electrical energy,connections adapted to form an electric circuit including said magnetand said source of electrical energy, a gear-wheel carrying an engagingor contact device, a pivoted arm actuated by the motor-spring, and meansfor adjusting said arm to stop the motor, before the power of the springis exhausted, at a point to prevent a permanent circuit.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK J. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

FRANK HALE, ALBERTINA T. SPRAGUE.

